Fabiola : or, The church of the catacombs - Digital Repository Services

sned by ft playful breeze, over the ripe meadow. A knowledge
had Hashed into his mind, n chic had fallen inio Ilia hand.
" It will be ridiculous," he said, " iW twenty ;"!, tiers to
march through the city, guarding a blind ;.;u-I. Return
to your quarters, and I will nee you are well rewar.iej. You,
Corvinus, take my horse, arid go before l your father, mid tell
him all. I will follow in a carriage with the captive."
"No treachery, Fulvius," he said, vexed and mortified.
" Miiid you bring her. The day must not pass without a sac-
rifice."
" Do not fear," was the reply.
Fulvius, indeed, was pondering whether, having lost one
spy, he should not try to make another. But the placid gentlef
the poor beggar perplexed him more than Hie boisterous
zeal of the gamester, and her sightless orbs defied him
more than the restless roll of the toper's. (Still, the first thought
that had struck him he could not yet pursue. When alone in a
carriage with her, he assumed a soothing tone and addressed
her. He knew she hod not overheard the last dialogue.
"
My poor girl," he said, "how long have you been blind?"
" All my life," she replied.
" What is your history ? Whence do you come ?"
"I have no history. My parents were poor, and brought
me to Borne when I was four years old, as they came to pray,
in discharge of a vow made in my early sickness, to the blessed
martyrs Chrysauthua and Daria. They left me in charge of a
pious lame woman, at the door of the title of Fasciola, while
they went to their devotions. It was on that memorable day,
when many Christians were buried at their tomb, by earth and
stones cast down upon them. My parents had the happiness
to be of the number. "
" And how have you lived since ?"
"God became my only Father then, and His Catholic
Church my mother. The one feeds the birds ox iie air, the
other nurses the weaklings of the flock. I have never wanted
for any thing since.
" But you can walk about the streets freely, and without
fear, as well as if you saw. "
" How do you know that ?"
" I have seen you. Do you remember very early one
norning in the autumn, leading a poor lame man along the
Vicus Patricius ?"
She blushed and remained silent. Could he have seen
tier put into the poor old man's purse her own share of the alms?
' You have owned yourself a Christian ?" he asked negli-
gently.
"
Oh, ! yes how could I deny it ?"
" Then that meeting was a Christian meeting ?"
"
Certainly what else could it ;
be ?"
He wanted no more his ; suspicions were verified. Agnes,
about whom Torquatus had been able or willing to tell him
nothing, was certainly a Christian. His game was mode. She
must yield, or he would be avenged.
After a pause, looking at her steadfastly, 'he said,
cnrrrn OF Tin: CATACOMBS. r.o
" Do you
know whither you are going ?"
" Before the judge of earth, I suppose, who will send me to
my Spouse in heaven."
" And so calmly ?" he asked in surprise ;
for he could see no
token from the soul to the countenance, but a smile.
" So joyfully rather," was her brief reply.
Having got out all that he desired, he consigned his prisoner
to Corrinus at the gates of the /Emilian basilica, and left her
to her fate. It had been a cold and drizzling day, like the
preceding evening. The weather, and the incident of the
poct, TnrtnlhiR, moved with some compassion, and
poor, ignorant, blind i
ily still,
tlnii i
as she : would imagine, with him;
ies on any one who : v;ik
It was as he had oalonlatad. i
else was there, as the prefect thus kindly .
" What is thy name, child ?"
tthat
:ied
li >iw
the n
any one
her
:
'Coecilia."
" It is a noble name ; hast thou it from ly ?"
"No; I am not noble ; except 1><
poor, died for Christ. As I am blind, tli
me called me Caeca,* and then, out of kindu
into Ccecilia."
" But now, give np all this folly of the Christians, wh
kept thee only poor and blind. Honour the
divine emperors, and offer sacrifice ti
have riches, and fine . clothes, and goi.
sicians shall try to restore thee ! thy
"You must have better motives to propose to me thnn i
for the very tilings for which I most i d
phy-
and Mis Divine
Son, are those which you would have me put away. "
" How dost thou mean ?"
" I thank God that I am poor and meanly clad, and faro not
daintily ; because by all these things
I am the more like
Christ, my only Spouse."
"Foolish girl !" interrupted the judge, losing patience a
little; "hast thou lenrnt all these silly delusions already ? at
least thou canst not thank thy God, that He has made thee
sightless."
" For that, more than all the rest, I thank Him daily and
hourly with all my heart."
" How so ? dost thou think it a blessing never to have seen
the face of a human being, or the sun, or the earth ? What
strange fancies ore these ?"
"
They are not so, most noble sir. For in the midst of what
you call darkness, I see a spot of what I must call li.a;ht, it
contrasts so strongly with all around. It is to me what tho
sun is to you, which I know to be local from the varying
direction of its rays. And this object looks upon me as with u
countenance of intensest beauty, and smiles upon me ever.
And I know it to be that of Him whom I love with unJ
affection. I would not for the world have its splendor di
by a brighter sun, nor its wondrous loveliness confounded with
the diversities of others' features, nor my gaze on it dr>wn
aside by earthly visions. I love Him too much, not to wish to
Bee Him always alone."
" Come, come ! let me have no more of this silly prattle.
Obey the emperors at once, or I must try what a
will do. That will soon tame thee."
" Pain ?" she echoed innocently.
little pain
"Yes, pain. Hast thou never felt it? hast thou never been
hurt by any one in thy life ?"
" Oh, no ! Christians never hurt one another."
The rack was standing, as usual, before him ; and he made
a sign to Catulus to place her upon it. The executioner ;>
her bock on it by her arms ; and as she mode no resistance,
she was easily laid extended on its wooden couch. The loops
of the ever-ready ropes were in a moment passed roun ;
ancles, and arms drawn over the head. The poor sightless girl
saw not who did all this ; she knew not but it might be tho
same person who had been conversing with her. If ther
been silence hitherto, men now held their very breath ;
night, had kept down all enthusiasm ; and while the prefect
Csecilia's lips moved in earnest prayer.
hod been compelled to sit in-doors, where no great crowds could "Once more,
collect, as hours had passed away without any arrest, trial, or
tidings, most of the curious had left, and only a few more persevering
remained, past the hour of afternoon recreation, in the
public gardens. But just before the captive arrived, a fresh
toot of spectators came in, and stood near one of the side-doors,
from which they could see alL
AM GomnuB had prepared his father for what he was to ex-
before proceeding further, I call on thee to
sacrifice to the gods, and escape cruel torments," said the
judge, with a sterner voice.
" Neither torments nor death," firmly replied the victim tir-d
to the altar, "shall separate me from the love of Chris! . I
can offer up no sacrifice but to the one living God and ; its
ready oblation is myself."
Blind.